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Jun 17, 2021danielestes rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Maria Konnikova's ascent from non-poker player to stumbling novice to international pro is one that took some time for me to appreciate. I think it was because early on her journey seemed far too artificial and I didn't yet know Maria as a person, at least in whatever sense one can know anyone from a memoir. And while I'm familiar with Texas Hold 'em, the game, and I look for an opportunity to play whenever I can, I am not at all familiar with the lives of those who have the resources to venture across the globe, year after year, playing in high stakes tournaments. To achieve her goal of becoming a poker professional, Maria needed a teacher. And she managed to convince one of the game's most-enduring and least-eccentric celebrities to take her up on her offer. Getting to know the legendary Erik Seidel was one of the many great moments of the book. I remember his quick cameo from the Matt Damon movie Rounders and of course I've seen him appear time and again playing poker on YouTube. Here he assumes the role of the wise old wizard—imparting timeless wisdom, staying mostly on the sidelines, and plus we get a little bit of his backstory too. My favorite poker/life teaching moment was when Maria was explaining a hand to Erik and she wanted to brood about a bad turn of cards at the end. Erik didn't want to hear it. Bad beats are part of the game, he said. What matters is how well you play with the information you have. Everybody loses from time to time but if you play your best hand, then that's all that matters.